Best original band: Andy and Renée

You would think they are married. They finish each other’s sentences, make endearing jabs at one another, and have been the faces behind the popular local Bob Dylan tribute Dylanfest for 23 years. And while they did date briefly, Andy Hill and Renée Safier are now simply dear friends who enjoy making music together and share a love for Bob Dylan.

Andy and Renée, as they label themselves musically, share Dylan’s mix of gravity and levity. The two are very serious musicians with an impressive body of original work and a band, Hard Rain, that includes Marty Rifkin, who has played with Bruce Springsteen and Elton John. But they have a silly side, too, and it was on full display on their most recent album, “Kelp!” The pair toured the South Bay playing cuts from the album and filled the rest of the year with tribute concerts like Dylanfest, their first love.

“The thing I see every year that really gets me,” Safier said, “is the number of people singing along to almost every song. And just the look of pure joy on their faces.”–AM